Suh watch continues and 5 more takeaways from combine

The NFL combine is over, at least the bulk of it, so it's time to sit back and take stock of what we learned.

When the Detroit Lions leave Indianapolis on Monday, they'll do so with their most important question of the off-season still up in the air.

Yes, they want Ndamukong Suh back, and they haven't been shy about expressing optimism at their chances to retain him.

But there's still no guarantee a new deal gets done.

Suh's camp has stayed noticeably quiet on the issue, and of all the reasons Lions general manager Martin Mayhew cited as to why he thinks something will get done – Suh likes Jim Caldwell and his defensive coaches; he's comfortable with his role in the Lions' scheme; and he has a chance to win in Detroit – he wouldn't commit to the most important one: Money.

Suh wants to be the highest paid defensive player in the NFL, something he made known to the Lions at the outset of the negotiations. The organization has been ambiguous publicly in their commitment to making that happen.

"I'm not worried about that aspect of it, I'm worried about him coming back playing for us and that's what we're looking at," Caldwell said. "And maybe that comes with it. Maybe it comes with it, but I think Martin indicated and told you that we're prepared to do whatever it takes to get him and that's what the negotiations are for."

With three weeks until free agency opens, and a week until the franchise tagging period expires, Suh also holds more leverage than ever before.

Don't expect much movement on the matter in the coming week, but sometime between March 2-10 Ndamukong Suh Watch will come to an abrupt end.

Here's five more things I learned at the combine this week:

1. Judging by the flares the Lions sent out in meetings at the combine, we could see two new defensive tackles on the roster in 2015, a starting-caliber free agent and a rookie who can at least be a rotational player from the draft. The Suh negotiations have left a lot of things in limbo, but the most likely scenario right now is that the new additions replace Nick Fairley and C.J. Mosley. Both Fairley and Mosley still could return to Detroit, but the team indicated in conversations with others this week that odds are they'll be playing elsewhere this year.

2. Despite the Lions' seeming willingness to let Fairley walk as a free agent, multiple NFL people I talked to this week wondered about the logic behind the team's decision to not pick up the fifth-year option on Fairley's rookie contract. Fairley has never played all 16 games in a season, missed half of last year because of injuries and has had his motivation questioned. But if the Lions don't plan on using the franchise tag on Suh next week – I would; Mayhew insists he hasn't decided yet if he will – they essentially passed on a relatively cheap insurance policy ($5.477 million) for one of the best defenses in the league. If they do use the tag, declining Fairley's option might be the only reason they can afford it.

3. Stephen Tulloch is ahead of schedule on rehab for his torn ACL and should be back on the field sometime this spring. Tulloch has posted a handful of workout videos on Instagram in which he certainly looks ready for football. Mayhew said Friday that Tulloch earned "exceptional" grades for the three games that he played last year. Tulloch is smart, tough and has the respect of coaches and the front office. He should be back as the team's starting middle linebacker.

4. According to the Australian paper The Daily Telegraph, rugby star Jarryd Hayne will announce his deal with the Lions this week. That's not a big surprise. We reported after the season that Hayne and the Lions were some paperwork away from finalizing a contract, and Hayne's American agent told me at the combine this week that a deal was very close to being done (though he insisted the Lions weren't the only team still in the mix for Hayne). The Lions are smart to take a risk-free look at Hayne, who was named best player in the National Rugby League last year. At a minimum, he looks like a good candidate for the practice squad, and perhaps the Lions will get the needed pre-approval of the NFL's management council next month to give Hayne an international practice-squad exemption (something they learned they needed from their failed bid to keep Kickalicious around two years ago). Hayne is a very good athlete, but he's never played American football before so expectations should be low. The pro personnel director of an AFC team that scouted Hayne told me this week that Hayne has good hands but he might be too slow for the NFL.

5. A couple final draft-related tidbits to wrap this up: Iowa's Brandon Scherff is the draft's top lineman, a nasty-demeanored blocker who can play tackle or guard, but Miami offensive tackle Ereck Flowers might go top 10, too. Flowers is young and raw, having started for just three seasons in college and one in high school – Miami stumbled across him while watching recruiting tape of Flowers' former prep teammate Duke Johnson – and he's the best long-term left tackle available. Pitt's T.J. Clemmings, meanwhile, is viewed by the scouts of at least two teams as a right tackle only in the NFL. At defensive tackle, Leonard Williams, Danny Shelton and Arik Armstead are virtual locks to be off the board when the Lions pick at 23. Oklahoma's Jordan Phillips will have some medical hurdles to overcome because of past back issues, but the Lions will have options at 23 if they want to draft that position.